Ignition distributors utilizing a spring clip means



Nov. 18, 1969 w. H. COOKSEY 3,479,472

IGNITION DISTRIBUTORS UTILIZING A SPRING CLIP MEANS Filed Sept. 8, 1967 United States Patent 3,479,472 IGNITION DISTRIBUTORS UTILIZING A SPRING CLIP MEANS i William Harold Cooksey, Walsall, England, assignor to Joseph Lucas (Industries) Limited, England Filed Sept. 8, 1967, Ser. No. 667,326 Claims priority, application Great Britain,'Sept. 9, 1966, 40,306/ 66 Int. Cl. H01h 9/02 Birmingham,

U.S. Cl. 200-19 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to ignitiori distributors for road vehicles of the kind including a casing, a rotatable shaft extending axially within the casing and carrying the rotor arm of the distributor, a plate surrounding the shaft and secured to the casing, said plate icarrying the contact breaker assembly of the distributor, said contact breaker assembly being operated in response to rotation of said shaft. 1

According to the invention in a distributor of the kind specified the casing is formed internally with a circumferential shoulder with which saidplate is engaged, said plate being maintained in engagement .with said shoulder by spring clips acting between the casing and said plate.

One example of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein; I

FIGURE 1 is a sectional view of the casing of a distributor,

FIGURE 2 is aplan view of a plate associated with the casing in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of the casing in FIGURE 1 with the plate in FIGURE 2 engaged therewith, t

FIGURE 4 is aperspective view of the clip in FIGURE 3 and,

FIGURE 5 is a side view of a modification of the clip shown in FIGURE 4.

Referring to the drawings the distributor includes a cylindrical casing closed at one end, its other end being closed in use by an insulating capaThe closed end of the casing 10 formed with an axial extension 11 within which is rotatably supported a shaft 12 which at its upper end extends axially within the casing 10 and is shaped to define a cam surface. The shaft 12 also serves to carry the rotor arm of the distributor, which in use coacts with contacts carried by the insulating cap.

The inner surface of the casing, 10 is stepped to define a radially directed, circumferentially extending shoulder 13 and above the shoulder 13 the casing is formed with a circumferentially extending groove the sides of which constitute a pair of axially spaced, mutually presented shoulders 14, 15. An arcuate annular plate 16 which carries the contact breaker assembly,20 of the distributor is dropped into the casing 10 and rests on the shoulder 13 and extends at right angles to the axis of the casing. The plate 16 is formed with three short peripheral slots 17 which are spaced apart from each other by 90.

Three resilient clips 18 are provided for securing the plate 16 in position relatively to the casing. Each clip is formed from a substantially rectangular sheet of resilient material, the two corners 19 at one end 18a of the sheet being bent towards each other out of the plane of the remainder of the sheet, while the other end of the sheet is shaped to define three tongues 21a, 21b, 210. The two outer tongues 21a, 210 are bent out of the plane of the remainder of the sheet, in the same direction as the corners 19, about a line parallel to the short sides of the sheet.

In order to secure the plate 16 in position in engagement with the shoulder 13 the clips 18 are engaged with the plate in such a manner that the tongues 21a, 21c contact the surface of the plate while the tongues 21b extend through the slots 17 in the periphery of the plate 16. The clips 18 are then urged in a direction to flex the tongues 2101, 21c and are pivoted to engage their ends 18a with the shoulder 15 (FIGURE 3). The resilience of the tongues 21a, 21c serves to urge the ends 18a of the clips 18 firmly into engagement with shoulder 15 and to urge the plate 16 into engagement with the shoulder 13.

It will be appreciated thta more than three slots 17 could be provided and that the existing slots could be spaced at any convenient angle not necessarily In the modified form of the clip 18 shown in FIGURE 5 the tongue 21b of the clip is bent up to engage the under surface of the plate 1 6. Thus the modified clips 18 can be engaged with the plate 16 prior to inserting the plate 18 into the casing 10.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An ignition distributor, for a road vehicle, including a casing, a rotatable shaft extending axially within the casing and carrying a rotor arm of the distributor, a plate surrounding said shaft, and a contact breaker assembly mounted on said plate and operable in response to rotation on said shaft, with the improvement comprising a circumferential shoulder on the inner surface of the casing against which said plate abuts, and a plurality of spring clips which act between the casing and the plate and which maintain the plate in abutting engagement with the shoulder.

2. An ignition distributor, for a road vehicle, including a casing, a rotatable shaft extending axially Within the casing and carrying a rotor arm of the distributor, a plate surrounding said shaft, and a contact breaker assembly mounted on said plate and operable in response to retation of said shaft, with the improvement comprising, a

circumferential shoulder on the inner surface of the easing against which said plate abuts, a plurality of peripheral slots in said plate, and a plurality of spring clips which act between the casing and the plate and which maintain the plate in abutting engagement with the shoulder, each clip including a first portion which extends through a respective peripheral slot in the plate, and a second portion which engages the surface of the plate remote from said shoulder.

3. An ignition distributor as claimed in claim 2 wherein each of said clips includes a third portion similar to the second portion and engaging said surface of the plate, said first portion being positioned between said second and third portions.

4. An ignition distributor as claimed in claim 2 wherein said first portion of each clip is shaped to engage the surface of the palte remote from said surface so that said clips can be engaged with the plate prior to assembly of the plate in the casing of the distributor.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,444,149 6/1948 Aldridge 200-19 XR 2,489,775 11/1949 Haubert 20019 XR 2,739,195 3/1956 Bales 20019 HERMAN O. JONES, Primary Examiner 

